The Strong’s Concordance defines reprove as follows: “To be right (that {is} correct); reciprocally to argue; causatively to {decide} justify or convict.”
There are two major contexts here:
- Argue, persuade to convince—with the aim of correcting (Teaching).
- Adjudicate, judge—with the aim of convicting (Judicial).
The Holy Spirit has the judicial authority to judge and the power to convict, but man does not (Matthew 7:1-5; Romans 14:13). Thus, John 16:8-10 is set within the context of judicial authority to judge and the power to convict, which is the prerogative of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, “reprove” in Shepherd’s context can only mean arguing, and reasoning with the aim of convincing and correcting—and not convicting. So, no one should make any mistake about this: Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit—and not that of man. No pastor or preacher of the Gospel should arrogate to himself the role or authority that belongs exclusively to the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ.
But what does the Holy Spirit convict us of? From John 16:8-10, it is evident that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin—the sin of not believing in Jesus. However, the Holy Spirit does not convict believers of sin because they believe in Jesus—not because they do not sin, but because their sinful nature has been changed to the righteous nature of God through Jesus. What are the significance and spiritual implications of the “conviction of righteousness” for a Believer?
Essentially, the conviction of righteousness means the Holy Spirit makes Believers aware of their righteous nature—not their sins. By convicting Believers of their righteousness—instead of sin—believers become aware of their true, righteous nature and identity, and realize that sinful acts are not compatible with their righteous nature. This gives rise to “godly sorrow” and the desire to repent, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2nd Corinthians 7:10).
This is contrary to the religious belief that preaching about the law of sin, condemning, and demonizing “sinners” is the right way to discourage sin and make people holy. On the contrary, preaching about the law of sin can only strengthen sin (1st Corinthians 15:56). Repentance cannot come through carnal efforts of New Year resolutions or religious works; it can only come through accepting Christ, genuine belief in the Gospel and consistently feeding on the Gospel day and night. Anything other than these is a sham.
Whereas conviction by the Holy Spirit leads to godly sorrow and repentance, any attempt by man to convict another man can only lead to condemnation that produces the sorrow of this world—guilt, shame, pain, humiliation, dehumanization—all of which could lead to death.
Condemnation is one of Satan’s weapons of warfare against Believers. Guilt and shame are not from God. When you go to church and come back feeling guilty, ashamed, and depressed because of the message you heard in the church, simply know that you have been attacked by Satan through your pastor. The Holy Spirit does not condemn. Whenever the Holy Spirit convicts you, you will feel encouraged, strengthened, and empowered to be a better person. Condemnation, on the other hand, dehumanizes and can damage the human psyche, and the will to press toward the mark. Dehumanizing someone can never lead to holiness. The best result we can expect from condemnation is either hypocrisy or rebellion. That is why many churches today are either empty or full of religious hypocrites and bigots.
Let us consider the allegory of an eagle that cannot fly because it grew up with chickens from the cradle. What is the best way of getting the eagle to fly? The eagle has everything that could make it fly inside, but the problem is the eagle’s mind. The best and quickest way of getting the eagle to fly is by convicting it of being an eagle and letting it know where eagles belong. Condemning and ridiculing the eagle will never give it the power it needs to fly.
Like the eagle-chicken, many people (including Christians) have accepted weird and outlandish lifestyles because they believe it is in their star or DNA. They flaunt and celebrate the most vile and abhorrence. Some of these people did not get to where they are by a deliberate plan; they were pushed there as a result of condemnation and demonization, which could only succeed in strengthening their weaknesses and sharpening their survival instinct to produce rebellion.
This is the truth behind the LGBT movement. Everything started as a sexual aberration by a few who had gender identity disorders. But instead of these people receiving proper spiritual counseling and emotional support rooted in love, they were condemned, demonized, and ostracized by the church. It became inevitable for them to become organized and fight for their survival and dignity as human beings created by God, using their democratic mandates. The church is making the same mistake with divorcees, single mothers, and polygamists. Someday, these too will find a common platform to fight back. Nobody deserved to be treated with disdain and contempt on account of their civil status and choices that do not infringe on the right of others, even if their actions are deemed sinful.
It is our duty as Christians to treat those we consider sinners with love and dignity, while we prayerfully lead them to Christ. We should be tolerant and patient enough to allow the Holy Spirit to convict them in a way that will bring about genuine repentance. But to unleash the power of the Holy Spirit, we must preach the true Gospel: The Gospel of the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ.
Called To the Ministry of Reconciliation and Not Condemnation
The church is called into the ministry of reconciliation and not condemnation—to reconcile “sinners” to God through Jesus Christ:
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2nd Corinthians 5:18-19 NKJV).
What is the “word of reconciliation?” The word of reconciliation is embedded in the Gospel of God’s love and Grace—the Gospel of peace (between God and man); the Gospel of our Salvation (through which we are saved by grace and not by works); the Gospel of our redemption through Jesus Christ, whereby our sins of yesterday, today and tomorrow have been forgiven; the Gospel of the kingdom, whereby Christ dwells in those who believe in Him, and will come back to take Believers home and execute judgment on those who refused to believe in Him…
So, what should be the tone of the messages from the church? The tone of messages from the church should be exactly what Paul told Timothy:
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2nd Timothy 4:2 NKJV).
With all longsuffering means, with tolerance and patience. Condemnation is borne out of impatient, self-righteousness, and pride.
If we add Galatians 6:1-5 to this, we arrive at a perfect template for delivering the message of the Gospel (emphasis mine):
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6:1-5).
We live in a fallen world, where all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. That is why God does not want us to condemn anyone. Our messages should be packaged to correct and strengthen and encourage each other in love, with understanding, patience, and kindness.
Our gospel must be anchored on the following three pillars:
- God’s love, which nothing can separate us from.
- God’s grace, which justifies sinners and makes them righteous without works.
- God’s mercy, which endures forever.
Any doctrine or teaching that contradicts one of these is not part of the Gospel we are called to preach. The good news of the Gospel is about the sinful man made righteous without works, and not a sinful man working to earn righteousness or salvation. Thus, righteousness is the fulcrum of the Gospel—not sin. Sin is our past, righteousness is our present and future. For this reason, we need to focus on our present and future, and not on our past.
Many pastors have deliberately embraced the ministration of condemnation because of the leverage it offers them to subjugate and manipulate their members. Condemnation dehumanizes and robs people of their true identity in Christ and makes them subservient to pastors. Every new year begins with a plethora of works and sacrifices, involving fasting, and first-fruit offerings, intended to please God and earn His favour throughout the year. Added to these is the ministration of the law of sin and death. These have nothing to do with the Gospel of God’s love and grace. Rather, it is pure religion, meant to enslave. Many Christians are hardly aware of their righteous nature in Christ and its significance because of the constant emphasis on performance, based on the requirements of the law of sin and death.
We should understand that no eagle up there wants to be like the chicken; no man or woman who knows their worth wants to live in sin, with all the pains and destructions sins bring. Everyone needs the conviction of their true and righteous identity in Christ, and all other things will flow smoothly from there.
Remember how Jesus dined and wined with sinners and transformed them without uttering any word of condemnation. The only group of people Jesus condemned and cursed was the Pharisees. Sadly, most of the churches today are run by modern Pharisees who specialize in renewing the bondage of curses from the law of sin and death, while living fat by taxing the hapless people they have frightened and subdued.
Obfuscating the Gospel with the Quest for Miracles
Jesus may have used miracles as a tool to draw people to the Gospel, although most of His miracles were inspired by compassion. Today, most pastors use miracles as bait for drawing people to themselves, and not to the Gospel. The majority of these pastors have neither a solid understanding nor revelation of the Gospel. Their messages are centered on prophecies and miracles, which often require the sowing of monetary seed. Their gospels are laden with ordinances and requirements from the law of sin and death, intended to convict and ensnare.
Some time ago, a friend invited me to a fellowship organized by an upcoming pastor prospecting for new members. When I asked her about the pastor’s spiritual background and encounters, all she could tell me was “he can see, but he does not preach your type of Gospel.” That was a red flag that turned me off instantly.
The Gospel of Grace is the source of every genuine miracle—not the gospel of the law of sin and death. When God sent Peter to Cornelius in Acts 10:24-48, Peter went there and preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his household. Peter did not prophesy, he did not speak in tongues or perform miracles, and neither did he ask Cornelius to sow seed or give an offering. The Bible says, while Peter was still preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard the Word (Acts 10:44). When God sent Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch, God did not tell Philip what to do (Acts 8:25-40). But the Bible says, when Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch, he opened his mouth “and preached unto him Jesus” (the Gospel). Philip neither prophesied to the Ethiopian eunuch nor perform any miracle before him.
A miracle was recorded at Lystra as Paul was preaching the Gospel:
“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked” (Acts 14:8-10 NKJV).
Paul preached the Gospel of Grace, and the crippled man was healed because he believed the Gospel, and not because of his repentance from sins, sowing of seed, or his religious works of righteousness.
And while rounding up his ministry, Paul declared to Ephesian Elders:
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32 NKJV).
The power for miracles is in the Gospel of Grace. People can easily experience miracles and deliverance on their own through the power of the Gospel if only they have the opportunity to hear the true Gospel.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, youwill ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7 NKJV).
When the Word of God (the Gospel of God’s love and grace) abides in you, demons automatically vacate and flee because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).
Paul had warned Ephesian Elders of savage wolves that will come after his departure:
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:28-30 NKJV).
Indeed, those “savage wolves” are here with us today! Miracles have become a plague to the Gospel of Jesus. Many pastors have obfuscated or replaced the Gospel with miracles.
Beware of any pastor who peddles miracles and prophecies without the revelation of the Gospel. Satan also performs miracles and sees visions. However, Satan does not have the revelation of the Gospel. There are many fake and occult pastors out there looking for ways to ensnare and enslave people to extort money from them. Beware! Satan no longer directly opposes the Word of God; he corrupts the Word to render it ineffectual and poisonous while using miracles and prophecies as camouflage to draw the crowd and ensnare the people.
A few days ago, I came across a post by a man who claimed to be a spiritualist, listing the names of seven archangels and their days of operation. When I asked him where I can find that in the Bible, his reply was: “The Bible says that all things were not written in the Bible. That’s why the Holy Spirit was given to show us things that were not written in the Bible.” When I told him that what he is doing is dangerous, and reminded him of Revelation 22:18-19, he started insulting me. I later found out that the man is an herbalist. Yet, he has many Christian followers who subscribe to his false and sacrilegious teachings.
Wake up to the Gospel of Grace and run away from every promise of miracles that is anchored on religious works of righteousness. If he has no understanding nor revelation of the Gospel of Grace, his miracle is not genuine.
Grace Is Not a License to Sin
Opponents of the Gospel of Grace have devised an ignominious slogan to slander and discredit the Gospel of Grace: “Grace is a license to sin.” This is an insidious and fraudulent tactic to justify the preaching of condemnation and to cajole people to submit willingly to living under the bondage of the performance-based religion of the law of sin and death.
Indeed, it is true that some people have stretched the liberty offered by the grace of God beyond its limit, by condoning lascivious lifestyles and wanton behavior that grieve the Spirit of grace. This, however, is not new to Christianity. During the early days of the church, the Nicolaitans were a group of Christians who corrupted the Gospel of Grace with doctrines of sensual indulgence and immoral lifestyles. But God made it clear in Revelation 2:6 that He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. And Paul, being persuaded by the Spirit of what was to come, had also warned against using the liberty offered by grace as an opportunity to sin (Galatians 5:13).
Therefore, it makes no sense for anybody to reject the Gospel of Grace because of the activities of people who misconstrue the grace of God as the freedom to indulge in sins. Do we seek to abolish the church because of the presence of sinners in the church? If you say you will not accept or preach the Gospel of Grace because it gives people an excuse to indulge in sins, which gospel do you subscribe to? Is there any other gospel? Paul the apostle has given a damning and frightening answer to this question:
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9 NKJV).
Paul was commissioned by God to preach the Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24), and he remained faithful to that calling throughout his ministry.
It is quite ironic and embarrassing for anyone who claims to be a pastor to put such a blasphemous label on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The presence of fringe elements who have twisted the Gospel of Grace to justify their unbridled carnal desires is no excuse for anyone to discredit the true Gospel of Grace, any more than the presence of false teachers and sinners in the church would cause us to discredit Christianity. Human deeds cannot (and should not) be used as a yardstick to invalidate or validate Scripture. Just as the activities of sinners and false preachers cannot stop us from preaching the truth, those who subscribe to the doctrine of Nicolaitans should not stop us from preaching the Gospel of Grace, which is the only Gospel we are called to preach. Rather, these aberrations should galvanize us into preaching the truth even more.
Today, the church is trying to accomplish a lot of things without the grace of God. Nothing acceptable to God is possible without His grace, and law and grace cannot dwell together (John 1:17; Romans 8:2-4). The law condemns, but grace sets us free from the power of sin to live in righteousness. That is why the church must stick to the Gospel of Grace and desists from invoking condemnations and curses from the law of sin and death.
For the avoidance of doubt, here is how the Bible paints the picture of God’s grace:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14 NKJV).
Grace is not only a teacher of righteousness but also God’s empowerment to walk with Him in holiness. No one has ever walked with God successfully without His Grace. The Bible tells us that there was no one like Noah in his generation. Noah believed God, obeyed Him, and built the Ark. But the grace of God preceded all these (Genesis 6:8).
Today, the church is trying to accomplish a lot of things without the grace of God. Before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples to do nothing but wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). This is despite all the years and hours the disciples spent with Jesus, learning, and working with Him. The Holy Spirit had never lived permanently in human beings until the advent of grace. That is why the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of grace” (Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews 10:29). Man cannot do anything pleasing and acceptable to God without His grace, and the Holy Spirit.
Law and grace cannot dwell together (John 1:17; Romans 8:2-4). The law condemns, but grace sets us free from the power of sin to live in righteousness. The Gospel of Grace empowers the Holy Spirit to minister to you, but the preaching of the law brings about condemnation that gives Satan access into your life. Beware of visions and prophecies from those who preach condemnation from the law of sin and death. The absence of the Holy Spirit in their lives opens them to the demonic and lying spirit of Satan. This spirit could enable them to see but lacks the power to act and address the situation. That is why the church must stick to the Gospel of Grace and desists from invoking condemnations and curses from the law of sin and death.
If people truly understand what Grace entails, they will also understand that Grace and Sin do not mix because of their contradictory nature. Law and sin go together, while grace and righteousness go together. If we are under grace, we must preach the Gospel of Grace, which is righteousness, and it comes as a gift of grace, without works. If anybody is treading the path of the Nicolaitans and living according to the “deeds of the Nicolaitans” in the name of the liberation Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, such a person should be rebuked and corrected, knowing that God hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
The church is founded on the foundation of God’s Covenant of Grace, and the church must operate within the terms of this covenant. Failure to do so means the church will be estranged from Christ (Galatians 5:4) to function as a mere religious establishment without the power of the Holy Spirit. The implication of this to salvation is obvious: No grace, no salvation!
We need the cognitive and spiritual understanding of grace before we can receive its revelation. Let us liken the spirit of man to the computer (God’s computer) with an operating system. When man was under the law, the operating system was coded with the language of the law. This is the old operating system, which was designed to be compatible with the old man under the law. But now, the old operating system, which was written in the language of the law of sin and death has been uninstalled and replaced with a new operating system, which is written in the language of righteousness and life (Romans 8:2). Sin cannot run on this new operating system, and you receive this new operating system as a free upgrade.
Although sin has been uninstalled from our spirit, our body and soul still contain the residue of harmful [sinful] applications and viruses left behind by the old operating system. God has given us His Word to cleanse and sanctify our bodies and souls to get rid of all the remnants of the harmful applications and viruses from the old operating system (John 15:3; 17:17). It is now our responsibility to feed on the Word of God day and night to renew our minds and bring our souls and body into conformity with the new operating system—the born-again Spirit of God within us.
We cannot renew our minds and sanctify our bodies by preaching condemnation from the gospel of sin and death, which is not compatible with the new operating system. We can only renew our minds and sanctify our bodies by preaching the Gospel of Grace. This is the only gospel that is compatible with our new righteous nature. Sin is our old nature; righteousness is our new nature. It behoves us to dwell more on our new nature. Let our old nature be a reminder of where we are coming from, as it is no longer a part of us as Christians. However, if you are still carrying the old operating system, I invite you to receive a free upgrade by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour today.
The problem with most churches today is that they do not even want to acknowledge the presence of this new operating system. They make people believe that they are still with their old sinful operating system so that they can use religious works and penance to control and manipulate them. If you have received this new operating system and continue to run the performance-based applications [religious works], coded with the law of sin and death, these applications will function as viruses and corrupt the new operating system, making it [and Christ] of no effect to you (Galatians 5:4).
How could anybody associate grace with sin? As someone who came to the Lord through the Gospel of Grace, I can testify to one thing: The first thing that left my life after being exposed to the Gospel of Grace, through Andrew Wommack, was my sinful demonic stronghold. I did not have to fast and pray for this to happen, even though I had done so in the past to no avail; it happened automatically after I had the revelation of the Gospel of Grace. Today, I may not be perfect, but I know I am righteous, having been justified by grace before God. I know my spirit is holy, but I must always strive to renew my mind, ionize my flesh, to bring my body and soul into conformity with the born-again, righteous spirit of God within me. I know how my moral failures could give the devil access into my life and cause me pain and agony; it could damage my testimony as Christ’s ambassador; it might cause unbelievers to doubt the gospel I preach and give them reasons to blaspheme against my God. These are the damages our sins and shortcomings could cause, and these are the reasons I do everything possible to eschew sins. However, none of these can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8: 35-39), and neither can they make us sinners before God, any more than a monkey driving car can make it a human being.
Only a mad man thinks that God has given him the grace to sin continually. Although there are a few mad men in the pulpit who are misleading people into sin by their ignorance of the Gospel of Grace, however, the damage these people are doing is not as much as the damage done by religious pastors who preach the gospel of condemnation, based on the law of sin and death, always ready to call down fire and brimstone on those who refuse to pay tithe. But these same people hardly remember the weighty and fundamental issue of Christianity: “Whatever is not from faith is sin”(Romans 14:23), and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
The uncomfortable truth is that those who falter under grace can receive forgiveness under God’s mercy, but all the religious men and women who claim the righteousness of the law through their works are under the eternal curse. Moreover, a person who sins under grace has a chance of being convicted by the Holy Spirit unto repentance, but the law-based religious people who disparage and dishonor grace have no such opportunity, as they live continually under condemnation, trying to placate their conscience with hypocritical dead works.
You must understand that attempting to earn your salvation through works of righteousness is a sin that can send you to hell because it amounts to a rejection of God’s sacrifice through Jesus in preference for your sacrifice. That is an insult to God. Holiness does not come from outside; holiness is the fruit of righteousness, and you are already righteous by grace. You bring out that fruit by feeding day and night on the Word of God. You will not bring out that fruit when you are a carnal, feeding your heart and mind with the sights and sounds of this world or with condemnation from the law of sin and death.
It is blasphemous for anyone to preach a gospel that suggests that Grace endorses sins, but it is sacrilegious to treat people who, out of their weaknesses and the vicissitudes of life, have fallen into sin, as if the Blood of Jesus was shed in vain. Even under the law, the people had the benefit of offering the blood of animals to atone for their sins, then how much more shall the blood of Christ, which God has offered through the eternal Spirit without spot, atone for all our sins, and purge our conscience from dead works of the law to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14).
Christianity rests on God’s Covenant of Grace. Outside this covenant, every human being is a persona non grata to God. This is where the claim that all religions lead to God falls flat. The Holy God has consecrated only one way for the sinful man to have access to Him. That one way is Jesus, under the Covenant of Grace, brokered by the Blood of Jesus. If you do not understand this, then you are lost and you need to find your way back home. Christ is the home—the starting point and the command-and-control centerof your walk with God on the path of truth and righteousness. That command-and-control center is manned by grace and powered by the Holy Spirit.
Always stay tuned to the Gospel of Grace, for there is no other gospel. Do not insult and dishonor the Spirit of grace by saying that grace is a license to sin.
Notice of which sin it is that the Holy Spirit convinces men -- the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ, |Of sin because they believe not on Me,| says Jesus. Not the sin of stealing, not the sin of drunkenness, not the sin of adultery, not the sin of murder, but the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ. The one thing that the eternal God demands of men is that they believe on Him whom He hath sent (John vi.29). And the one sin that reveals men's rebellion against God and daring defiance of Him is the sin of not believing on Jesus Christ, and this is the one sin that the Holy Spirit puts to the front and emphasizes and of which He convicts men. This was the sin of which He convicted the 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost. Doubtless, there were many other sins in their lives, but the one point that the Holy Spirit brought to the front through the Apostle Peter was that the One whom they had rejected was their Lord and Christ, attested so to be by His resurrection from the dead (Acts ii.22-36). |And when they heard this (namely, that He whom they had rejected was Lord and Christ) they were pricked in their hearts.| This is the sin of which the Holy Spirit convinces men to-day. In regard to the comparatively minor moralities of life, there is a wide difference among men, but the thief who rejects Christ and the honest man who rejects Christ are alike condemned at the great point of what they do with God's Son, and this is the point that the Holy Spirit presses home. The sin of unbelief is the most difficult of all sins of which to convince men. The average unbeliever does not look upon unbelief as a sin. Many an unbeliever looks upon his unbelief as a mark of intellectual superiority. Not unfrequently, he is all the more proud of it because it is the only mark of intellectual superiority that he possesses. He tosses his head and says, |I am an agnostic;| |I am a skeptic;| or, |I am an infidel,| and assumes an air of superiority on that account. If he does not go so far as that, the unbeliever frequently looks upon his unbelief as, at the very worst, a misfortune. He looks for pity rather than for blame. He says, |Oh, I wish I could believe. I am so sorry I cannot believe,| and then appeals to us for pity because he cannot believe, but when the Holy Spirit touches a man's heart, he no longer looks upon unbelief as a mark of intellectual superiority; he does not look upon it as a mere misfortune; he sees it as the most daring, decisive and damning of all sins and is overwhelmed with a sense of his awful guilt in that he had not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.
II. But the Holy Spirit not only convicts of sin, He convicts in respect of righteousness.
He convicts the world in respect of righteousness because Jesus Christ has gone to the Father, that is He convicts (convinces with a convincing that is self-condemning) the world of Christ's righteousness attested by His going to the Father. The coming of the Spirit is in itself a proof that Christ has gone to the Father (cf. Acts ii.33) and the Holy Spirit thus opens our eyes to see that Jesus Christ, whom the world condemned as an evil-doer, was indeed the righteous One. The Father sets the stamp of His approval upon His character and claims by raising Him from the dead and exalting Him to His own right hand and giving to Him a name that is above every name. The world at large to-day claims to believe in the righteousness of Christ but it does not really believe in the righteousness of Christ: it has no adequate conception of the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness which the world attributes to Christ is not the righteousness which God attributes to Him, but a poor human righteousness, perhaps a little better than our own. The world loves to put the names of other men that it considers good alongside the name of Jesus Christ. But when the Spirit of God comes to a man, He convinces him of the righteousness of Christ; He opens his eyes to see Jesus Christ standing absolutely alone, not only far above all men but |far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come| (Eph. i.21).
III. The Holy Spirit also convicts the world of judgment.
The ground upon which the Holy Spirit convinces men of judgment is upon the ground of the fact that |the Prince of this world hath been judged| (John xvi.11). When Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, it seemed as if He were judged there, but in reality it was the Prince of this world who was judged at the cross, and, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, the Father made it plain to all coming ages that the cross was not the judgment of Christ, but the judgment of the Prince of darkness. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see this fact and so convinces us of judgment. There is a great need to-day that the world be convinced of judgment. Judgment is a doctrine that has fallen into the background, that has indeed almost sunken out of sight. It is not popular to-day to speak about judgment, or retribution, or hell. One who emphasizes judgment and future retribution is not thought to be quite up to date; he is considered |mediaeval| or even |archaic,| but when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of men, they believe in judgment. In the early days of my Christian experience, I had great difficulties with the Bible doctrine of future retribution. I came again and again up to what it taught about the eternal penalties of persistent sin. It seemed as if I could not believe it: it must not be true. Time and again I would back away from the stern teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles concerning this matter. But one night I was waiting upon God that I might know the Holy Spirit in a fuller manifestation of His presence and His power. God gave me what I sought that night and with this larger experience of the Holy Spirit's presence and power, there came such a revelation of the glory, the infinite glory of Jesus Christ, that I had no longer any difficulties with what the Book said about the stern and endless judgment that would be visited upon those who persistently rejected this glorious Son of God. From that day to this, while I have had many a heartache over the Bible doctrine of future retribution, I have had no intellectual difficulty with it. I have believed it. The Holy Spirit has convinced me of judgment.
The Holy Spirit Reveals the Sinner’s Problem
Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts the world “of sin, because they do not believe in Me” (see John 16:9).
We are sinners because of what we are.
We are born with a sinful nature. Therefore, unless there is a change, we are hopelessly lost.
We are sinners because of what we have done.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
One day, you will meet every curse word and gossip you have said, every disobedience, every dishonesty. (Read Matthew 12:36, Revelation 20:12.) Think of your thought life. You hated; God called it murder. (See 1 John 3:15.) You lusted; God called it adultery. (See Matthew 5:28.)
We are sinners because of what we have not done.
Why did God make you? To know Him, love Him, and serve Him. If you have not ALWAYS done that, then you have been walking on God’s Earth, eating God’s food, using God’s sunshine, breathing God’s air, and not returning to God what is His—glory.
But these are not man’s basic problem.
We are sinners for not believing.
This is the greatest sin. You might say, “I don’t agree. Murder is worse.” No. God says unbelief is the greatest sin. And you will not agree, unless the Holy Spirit teaches you. Unbelief is the crowning sin, the proof of man’s wickedness. It is the sin that will damn you forever. It is the parent sin, from which all other sins come.
If you say, “I can’t help it if I can’t believe,” you are wrong. The Holy Spirit will enable you to believe. Unbelief does not come out of the head; it comes out of the heart.
Unbelief is refusing Almighty God. A man is not eternally condemned because he lied, stole, or committed adultery, but because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (See John 3:18.)
The Holy Spirit Convinces us of the Savior’s Provision
Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts the world “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more” (see John 16:10).
What did Jesus provide? Healing? Teaching? Not primarily. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He came to provide righteousness.
Jesus was virgin born and lived a sinless life. He took the sin of His people upon Himself, and with His blood on the cross He paid the sin debt. He went into that dark tomb, came out on the third day, and ascended to Heaven. He said to the Father, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).
The world’s idea of righteousness is as warped as its idea of sin. It thinks a man is righteous if he does right. In this idea, God is like Santa Claus, making a list to find out who’s naughty or nice. The world thinks that when we die, our bad works are put on one side of the scales and our good works on the other, and if our good works outweigh our bad, God will say, “You made it.”
But listen to God talk about Israel: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
If you could be accounted righteous before God by doing good deeds, why did Jesus die? “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21).
You say, “I’m a good person.” Here’s what God says about you: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all ourrighteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6a; emphasis added).
Depending upon self-righteousness rather than Christ’s righteousness is a deadly mistake. Only the Holy Spirit of God can convince you that you do not have a chance of Heaven, apart from the shed blood of Christ.
When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, this is the righteousness He gives you:
Jesus changes what you are.
Christians are not just nicer people; they are new creatures. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.)
Jesus forgives what you have done.
Every stain, blot, and blemish are washed whiter than snow, buried in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. (See Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 1:18.)
Jesus gives what we need.
We need righteousness. “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works” (Romans 4:5-6). If you don’t understand this, pray that the Holy Spirit will open your heart.
The Holy Spirit Reveals Satan’s Broken Power
The Holy Spirit convicts the world “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (see John 16:10). Notice the past tense—Satan is alreadyjudged. When Jesus faced the cross, He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31).
Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels. You either believe in Christ, or you do not. If you believe in Christ, one day you will be like Him. (See Romans 8:29.) But if you trust your own self-righteousness, one day you will be the perfect image of Satan, and you will go to the Hell prepared for him and his angels. (See Matthew 25:41.) When you get where you’re headed, where will you be?
The devil has already lost, and Jesus must reign. His enemies must bite the dust. Truth is mightier than error, love is stronger than hate, and holiness is higher than sin. Choose sides carefully.
The Spirit’s Three Truths
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of the sinner’s basic problem, the savior’s provision, and Satan’s broken power. (See John 16:8-11.) Notice the order.
Usually, first the crime is proven, then there is punishment. With God, the order is different. First sin, then righteousness, then judgment. God has interposed the precious blood of His Son between sin and judgment.
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